Chapter 36: Matters of Fighting and Killing, Keep Them Far Away from This Daoist!

"Oh ho, a fellow practitioner!"

Li Yuan carefully sized up the 'fellow practitioner' before him; the man was advanced in years, his eyes covered by black cloth, making it impossible to tell if he was truly blind or merely pretending.

Yet there was no gleam of weapons on his person, and his posture was slack and loose, as though he possessed no martial arts skills at all?

"Daoist Priest, isn't your next line supposed to be that I face a calamity of bloodshed?"

Li Yuan's expression turned peculiar.

Though in his previous life he had not been a fortune teller, that trade and solitary peddlers like himself were collectively known as wild Daoists, so calling them fellow practitioners was quite apt.

However, although he had never told fortunes for others, he was well aware of the methods employed by these 'fellow practitioners.'

When telling fortunes, the first three sentences must inevitably seize hold of the listener, striking terror into them and throwing their minds into panic, only then can the deception proceed smoothly.

It was said that some professionals would even scout the location in advance...

"Ahem... Young brother jokes."

The old Daoist's smile appeared slightly awkward.

Li Yuan did not continue to expose him; after laughing once, he said:

"Since I have nothing else to do and you have spoken up, Priest, why not cast a divination for me? However, the fee for the divination must be agreed upon beforehand."

"Naturally. This old man charges only ten cash per divination, honest to children and elders alike."

Only then did the old Daoist force a smile back onto his face.

"Where is your stall, Priest?"

Li Yuan glanced around; outside the Thousand Eyes Temple there were many stalls, bustling with activity.

"Ahem, a wandering unaffiliated Daoist, how could I possibly have a stall?"

The old Daoist gave a light cough and stepped aside to the edge of the path:

"This poor Daoist's secular surname is Zhang; may I ask how you are addressed, young brother, and what do you wish to have divined?"

"In that case, perhaps..."

Li Yuan took a look; his elder brother and sister-in-law had not yet emerged, and a very long queue stood outside the temple gates:

"Divine for me, Daoist Zhang, what my name is and what I intend to ask you to divine."

"..."

The old Daoist's wrist trembled; he nearly choked on his own saliva and coughed repeatedly:

"Young brother truly knows how to joke."

"Is it not the Priest who is joking with me?"

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, somewhat suspicious:

"Without even a stall, how does the Priest intend to tell fortunes? By reading faces?"

"... Although this poor Daoist has no stall, the necessary implements are not lacking in the least."

The old Daoist Zhang set down his bamboo staff, fetched a wooden box from the corner and opened it; inside were clearly visible a lot cylinder, copper coins, white cloth, and other items.

"This poor Daoist shall now take them out..."

As the old Daoist bent his head to arrange things, he suddenly heard a startled exclamation:

"Yu Zhen!"

"Swish!"

The old Daoist Zhang looked up in alarm, nearly falling backward onto the ground.

"So the Priest truly is a proxy hunter?"

Seeing his reaction, Li Yuan now understood the situation:

"It must have been difficult for the Priest, having to disguise yourself as a blind man just to tell my fortune."

Over these past three months, aside from sending Liu Qing home with silver, he himself had not left the shop, yet he had heard Zhang Ben mention that someone was inquiring about him.

"Truly worthy of being a rising star among the forging shops; young brother, your attention to detail is as fine as hair, this old man admires you!"

The old Daoist Zhang tore off the black cloth covering his eyes:

"However, this old man indeed cannot see."

Beneath the black cloth, his old eyes were slightly clouded, appearing truly blind.

"Good heavens, cataracts..."

Li Yuan truly felt some admiration:

"At your age, Priest, and unable to see, you still manage to work as a proxy hunter?"

"Driven by the necessities of life, I had no choice but to do so."

The old Daoist Zhang sighed and clapped his hands.

From the crowd not far away, several Jianghu figures carrying swords and daggers at their waists quickly approached.

"So you've had your eyes on me for quite some time?"

Li Yuan recognized a few familiar faces among them, seeming to have encountered them on the road before.

Yet he did not move; at this moment, people came and went before the Thousand Eyes Temple, and no matter how bold these proxy hunters were, they would not dare to rob him openly.

This old man is Zhang Fangyuan, a proxy hunter of Zhelong Prefecture; these several people are as well.

The old Daoist Zhang cupped his hands slightly and said:

"To say we were watching you would not be accurate; we merely wished to inquire for information. For over half a year now, we brothers have tracked a thousand li; it has truly not been easy, so we hope you can understand our plight."

"Understand I do, but I truly know nothing."

Li Yuan sized up Zhang Fangyuan and the other proxy hunters:

"I do not even know what Nian Jiu looks like; you gentlemen seeking information from me have likely found the wrong person..."

Zhang Fangyuan smiled: "Young brother, what we wish to know is what Qiu Da and Yu Zhen asked you when they came to see you in succession."

"Nian Jiu has appeared in the city only twice: once when he killed Liu Laizi, two neighboring families, and a small spice vendor; the other time when he attempted to assassinate Wang Luan, the Master of Lihe Martial Hall..."

Regarding news of Nian Jiu, Li Yuan had also made inquiries.

This great thief who had fled from Zhelong Prefecture had seen his bounty triple over more than half a year, yet he had not appeared again.

"Has young brother omitted anything?"

After hearing Li Yuan's words, Zhang Fangyuan frowned slightly and muttered to himself:

"Although Nian Jiu is an evil person from the Qianjun Cave, accustomed to killing, he hid his tracks while fleeing a thousand li and did not kill a single person along the way; for him to kill and expose himself now, there must be a reason..."

This, then, was the real reason wave after wave of people came to question him?

Li Yuan sighed inwardly, yet felt helpless.

That worn shoe involved matters far too great; he simply could not speak of it, otherwise, whether Nian Jiu lived or died he did not know, but he himself would certainly die.

"Boss, why waste words with him?"

A burly man nearby drew a dagger from his waist and grinned viciously:

"I think we must draw some blood first before this lad will speak honestly..."

Crack!

Zhang Fangyuan casually slapped him; the burly man groaned muffledly, clutching his arm as he retreated backward, while the others fell silent as cicadas in winter.

"Since Yu Zhen has asked, it must be genuine; however, young brother, one thing you said is indeed correct..."

Zhang Fangyuan picked up his bamboo staff and wooden box; as he turned to leave, his clouded eyes fixed on Li Yuan, implying something deeper:

"In recent days, you truly do face a calamity of bloodshed!"

Not every proxy hunter observes the rules...

Li Yuan guessed the latter half of what he left unsaid, and his heart grew slightly cold.

Proxy hunting is a trade that deals daily with government offices and criminals; if all of them observed the rules, he himself would not believe it.

It was just that...

"If Nian Jiu is in the city, where would he be hiding?"

Li Yuan felt somewhat annoyed as he pondered.

Inside and outside Gaoliu County lived several tens of thousands of households, over a hundred thousand people; in this era there was no sky-net, so finding a thief skilled at hiding was no different from searching for a needle in a haystack.

"Unless I use that worn shoe to lure him out, I can only wait for these proxy hunters to search slowly..."

Li Yuan sighed inwardly at the case-solving rate of the Dayun Imperial Court, yet felt helpless.

Capturing criminals is never an easy task anywhere; even in his previous life, he often heard of fugitives who escaped for ten-plus years before finally being captured...

"That worn shoe..."

Outside the temple gates, Li Yuan sank into thought.

After waiting for nearly half a day, Li Lin finally emerged, leading Wang Juan out.

After exchanging a few words with his elder brother and sister-in-law, Li Yuan abandoned the idea of returning home; taking advantage of the bustling crowd on the street, he hurried back to the forging shop.

Crack!

Several nights later, muffled thunder rolled across the sky.

Li Yuan quietly rose; hearing Fat Sun snoring heavily in the next room, he grabbed a bamboo hat and plunged into the rain.

In the rainy night, he moved quickly, used the key to the forging room to open the door, then exited through the other side.

In the light rain, Li Yuan hurried to the Outer City Government Office; glancing around to ensure no one was present, he took out the Six Harmonies Boots from which he had removed the inner sole, stuffed a stone inside,

and with all his strength hurled them toward the Outer City Government Office:

"Since you all covet this shoe, then here it is for you!"

Bang!

From afar, Li Yuan heard a dull thud and a barrage of curses, but without glancing back, he darted swiftly into the curtain of rain.

"Shoes bought for three taels of silver—I'll get them back sooner or later!"

Li Yuan grumbled inwardly, yet his steps grew even lighter.

With the Military Command Talisman in hand, he needed only to train methodically; he reckoned that before long, his blood and qi would truly reach perfection, penetrating the Six Harmonies, with the cultivation of internal force close at hand.

It was precisely a time of rising fortune.

As for all this fighting and killing, it would be best to keep it far away from this Daoist!

(End of Chapter)